Journal

LIGHT IN YOUR EYES – LIGHT IN YOUR BODY

Go for something that moves you, that makes you sweat, that makes you be in the moment. That puts you in some sort of a moment of stillness of the mind. Where everything becomes much clearer, like you just washed your thoughts away and your eyes become sparkling. You shine. Truth is, you can get those sparkling eyes in any activity that excites your spirit. So go for it. Every damn day. Take time for yourself and your future self will be grateful that you did it so. But do it everyday.

Just think – a day has 24 hours, a week 168. Now think how many hours a day you take for yourself, for your activities, for shutting the thoughts down (and your mobile as well) and just be in the stillness, in the moment. Then multiply that number by 7. Probably you are surprised. Usually people take only one or two hours a week for themselves and that is waaay tooo little.

I am aware that we live in a busy world and sometimes 24 hours of a day is just too little to do everything we are planning to do. But this world is cought up in too much useless information that we don’t need as well – so you can “trade” the moments you spent watching, reading uselles and negative news feeds, etc… for taking time for yourself. But…

… listen to your body. If your body is tired don’t push yourself too hard in your activites so that you don’t burn yourself out even more. Do something a bit slowly, a bit more relaxing. If you are sick – REST. If you are stressed and want to whack the hell out of a boxing bag hmmm release the stress out of you with punching the boxing bag if you want it that way, but don’t push that stress out onto others, release it in a safe and “kind” way. Kind also for yourself, so you don’t bring even more stress into your system. And then do something to calm you down, because punching the bag won’t calm you down as much as the fresh air, nature or meditation can. Go for a walk for instance. And always: be gentle with your body. Everyday day. This is your temple and only thing that you actually really own – your body. Start observing it and your emotions – how you feel in your body, how you breathe – you’ll notice that everyday is a little different. Accept and appreciate that.

That is what yoga has thought me. It thought me to listen to my body and myself. It thought me to shut everything off (especially mobiles, computers etc…) and take time for myself. It thought me how important is to MOVE, otherwise I become too stiff and my energy doesn’t flow through the body and I somehow lose the connection. It thought me how important our BREATH is. And it thought me to slow down so I can really FEEL. Feel me and all of my 5 senses (and a sacred 6th sense – intuition) and the world around me. Nature, people, animals,… all the life around me. I became less angry and less stressed, but more in love and aware of every single day. It thought me to be thankful. And when trouble and bad days come I deal with them a lot calmer and wiser than I did before my yoga life.

It’s so good to combine yoga with your daily activites, favorite sports,… (professional athletes – for you especially) because it can give you so much awareness of the body and a whole new level of mindfulness. But don’t think the results will come after first hours of practicing. That is another demon of today’s world – we want everything NOW. You have to be patient with it. P A T I E N C E!

If you think yoga is too easy and for women only. You are wrong. Vinyasa Flow or Ashtanga Yoga can be a really dynamic and therefore sweaty. Pattabhi Jois – an indian yoga teacher who developed the popular vinyāsa style of yoga – Ashtanga Yoga beautifully described sweat, he said that, “sweat is an important by product of vinyasa, because it is only through the sweat that disease leaves the body.”

With the movement of the body, the right breathing “sweat” the negative and disease out and bring the light in. Be good with yourself. EVERY DAY.